There's healthy competition among batsmen in England team: Bell
PTI | Aug 21, 2011
LONDON: Ian Bell, who with his career-best 235 overtook Alastair Cook as the leading run-scorer in the present calendar year, on Saturday said that there is "healthy and constructive" competition among England batsmen and it is doing a world of good for the home team.
"There is competition with each other. If someone gets big, your mind also tells you get a bigger one. There is some competitiveness there but it's healthy and constructive. We talk openly how to play bowlers, share ideas and prepare for a Test match," stated Bell, who now has 950 runs from the year, overtaking Cook's tally of 927 runs.
England presently also possess a quite a few batsmen with good number of centuries under their belt. Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss all have 19 centuries each while Bell has 16, including this knock of 235 runs.
"When I started, there were batsmen with 4-5 centuries. We all are stacking some numbers now and it's great for English cricket," Bell said.
Despite scoring his career-best score at The Oval, Bell has some mixed feelings about the venue.
"It's a funny ground. I never made big here. I had a good debut and here I resurrected my career but I have mixed feelings. I have sat in the same seat in the dressing room and it has finally paid off."
Bell, who is standing in for injured Jonathan Trott at the number three position, said he has some unfinished business to achieve at that particular slot.
"I have some unfinished business at three. When I was put up the order, I probably wasn't ready. I am better now. But I am realistic I would be back at number five next year.
"I fell one short (of 200) last time against South Africa; one run can make hell of a difference. But I enjoyed this, it is one of my better knocks. I am batting as good as I have ever been in my career," he said.
Bell said if possible England would try to enforce the follow-on on India on the fourth day of fourth and final cricket Test tomorrow.
"The way the wicket has deteriorated as much as it has, it's quite unusual. The spin Swann was able to get was incredible. We can now make to enforce the follow-on. Swann can bowl at one end while the seamers could be fresh and be rotated at the other end.
"The spin he (Swann) got makes it quite exciting for the winter (when England makes a tour of the sub-continent). It tells what we can do on a spinning wicket," he said.
Bell also admired Ishant Sharma and S Sreesanth for the attitude they have shown while bowling to England batsmen.
. Hopefully Tendulkar makes his hundredth ton in the follow on tonight.
